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SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XLI. No. 1062 



Boston ■will make possible the extension of the 

 work and will greatly facilitate the investiga- 

 tions. The states of Massachusetts, Maine 

 and Vermont are cooperating in these investi- 

 gations, and a hill is pending before the legis- 

 lature of New Hampshire providing for co- 

 operation in that state. Charles H. Pierce, 

 district engineer of the Geological Survey, 

 will be placed in local charge of the work. 



The committee on arrangements give notice 

 of change in date in the Interstate Cereal 

 Conference in California previously announced 

 in Science and also a change in one of the 

 localities from Merced to Stockton as follows : 

 The first day's meeting will be held at Stock- 

 ton, Tuesday, June 1, for inspection of San 

 Joaquin Valley cereals, while the following 

 three days will be spent as previously stated, 

 namely, the second day, June 2, at Berkeley, 

 beginning the program of the conference ; June 

 3 at Davis, finishing the program and inspect- 

 ing the university farm, and the last day, 

 June 4, at Chieo, where the program, if still 

 unfinished, can be concluded. At this place 

 also an inspection will be made of the Plant 

 Introduction Garden and the cereal experiment 

 plats of the U. S. Department of Agriculture. 

 During the day, those who desire to do so can 

 also go the short distance to Biggs to inspect 

 the rice experiment farm at that place. 



Since the time of Captain Cook the Ha- 

 waiian Islands have been visited by geologists 

 and others interested in the problems of vol- 

 canoes, and much has been written concerning 

 them. Eecently the United States Geological 

 Survey has taken up the investigation of the 

 islands from various economic and scientific 

 points of view and is preparing topographic 

 maps, which are necessary for many kinds of 

 work. It has been found that the geologic 

 history of the islands is by no means so simple 

 as was supposed from the earlier publications 

 concerning them. In Professional Paper 88, 

 " Lavas of Hawaii and their Eelations," by 

 Whitman Cross, which has just been issued, 

 the survey is presenting a summary of what is 

 now known concerning the lavas of all the is- 

 lands. This paper is largely technical in its 

 character, for it is intended primarily to serve 

 as a basis for future study of the rocks by 



geologists, but for any one interested in the 

 various islands and not following strictly the 

 tourist route there is considerable general in- 

 formation, not to be found elsewhere. The 

 work is a summary of earlier publications sup- 

 plemented by the author's own observations 

 on the four largest islands — Hawaii, Maui, 

 Oahu and Kauai. It appears that there are 

 many other kinds of lavas in Hawaii besides 

 basalt, and many facts of association of the 

 different lavas are of interest to students of 

 the inner history of volcanoes. While much 

 is yet to be learned concerning the lavas of 

 these islands, Mr. Cross shows that present 

 knowledge of the rocks is sufficient to throw 

 light on some of the most vexed questions per- 

 taining to the origin and relations of the ig- 

 neous rocks of the earth. The chemical rela- 

 tions are discussed with particular thorough- 

 ness. Petrologists will find valuable material 

 in this report, bearing on many problems. 



The shortage of potash salts in the United 

 States in 1914 was further accentuated by the 

 German embargo on export at the end of 

 January, 1915. In spite of the interruptions 

 to the normal trade in potash salts, the im- 

 ports of salts proper in 1914 amounted to 

 485,818,459 pounds, valued at $8,743,973, ac- 

 cording to a statement by W. C. Phalen, just 

 made public by the United States Geological 

 Survey. These figures represent a decrease in 

 quantity and value amounting to 21 per cent, 

 and 19 per cent., respectively, compared with 

 1913. These figures, however, do not repre- 

 sent the total imports of potash salts. There 

 should be added the quantity and value of 

 kainite and manure salts imported, amounting 

 in 1914 to 482,876 tons, valued at $3,397,590, 

 making a total importation during the year 

 valued at $12,141,563, compared with $15,241,- 

 152 in 1913 — a decrease amounting to $3,099,- 

 589 or approximately 20 per cent. Potash salts 

 constitute only one of several fertilizers im- 

 ported. Bone dust, calcium cyanamid or lime 

 nitrogen, guano, basic slag and other materials 

 used for manure are also brought in. The total 

 quantity of these materials including kainite 

 and manure salts imported in 1914 was 761,- 

 896 long tons, valued at $9,921,439. In addi- 

 tion to the above importations, sodium nitrate 



